The school said it had tried to use a hawk to disrupt the patterns of the geese but "the scale of the problem and the seriousness of the consequent threat to the health of our children" meant that a cull was necessary.

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Animals in the news

The petition, published on thepetiionsite.com , reads: "This sends a message to the children that when wild animals are inconvenient, the only or best solution is to kill them.

"Culling is also ineffective as more geese are likely to come to take their place so you will no doubt have a continuous cull and it's clearly not a long term solution.

"There are alternatives such as installing a goose deterrent. Please stop this cruel slaughter of geese now!"

Canadian geese will be culled at Saxon Primary School (Image: TMS)

In a statement provided to Get Surrey on Tuesday, Mary Ellen McCarthy, executive principal of the Lumen Learning Trust who run the school, said: "A decision to carry out a cull of this kind is of course not taken lightly.

"Advice was taken from Natural England and the Local Authority prior to engaging Environmental Services.

"A hawk was used to disrupt the patterns of the geese and move them on, however such is the scale of the problem and the seriousness of the consequent threat to the health of our children, that a cull was necessary.

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"As a school, protecting the health and welfare of our children is paramount."

Some members of the public said they did understand why a cull was necessary.

Abbie O'Connell commented: "I’m sure if it was your child at the school and they got sick because of playing in a field full of geese poo carrying harmful diseases you’d change your tune! It's not necessary to eat the poo to suffer the consequences of the pathogens they carry!"

SPS declined to comment on the petition, which you can see view here .